As to the awning, which he set up page 51. and which he intends as a justification of his coming in here, it proved rather a nusance than a benefit; for as the place afforded not the proper materials, he could not make it staunch and tight, so that the rain, as it fell from the clouds, was not half so troublesom, as the streams it made through this imperfect piece of work, into the poor men’s necks: besides, it very much hinder’d our walking the deck. Captain _Clipperton_ had twice made the voyage before, and therefore was something of a judge; and he, as well as the gentlemen at home, thought the _Speedwel_ completely enough fitted out without any additions of captain _Shelvocke_’s. It’s merry enough to observe how _Shelvocke_ p. 25. makes Mons. _La Jonquiere_, who was a gentleman of good sense, commander of a fifty gun ship in the King of _Spain_’s service, and in time of war with _England_, hold forth to the supposed mutinous crew of an _English_ privatier, then going to take, sink, burn and destroy as many of the ships belonging to the subjects of the king his master, as should have the misfortune of falling into their clutches; and to this effect, that they should behave themselves dutifully and obediently towards their honest commander, who was leading them to make their fortunes. The absurdity of this is plain enough, when I consider there were not above four or five in our ship at most, who understood any thing of _French_: and I am sure _La Jonquiere_ did not speak a word of _English_: besides, he had something else to mind; all this being only a drunken frolick, occasion’d by the _Frenchman_’s coming aboard us to make merry. Another, but a worse blunder he commits in the speech, he pretends was made to captain _Hatley_, by Monsieur _La Riviere_, commander of a _Portuguese_ man of war of forty guns, which arrived there some time before we sail’d, p. 26. “That it was very likely he might receive a gratuity from the matter of the ship[2], to prevent his being troublesome: but that his captain’s coming immediately into a port of the same nation, was a convincing demonstration to him (besides the meanness of the story) that there could not be any public or general base design, and that he was far from mistrusting there could be any private one, and desired him to give his humble service to me, and tell me, that he had a great deal of honour and respect for me; and begg’d I would let him have the conveniencies I had ashore (when I had done with them) if the _French_ captain had not preingaged them.” [2] That is the _Portuguese_ off _Cape Frio_.